


Conversations

by not_always_sunny



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Friendship, Gen, He's just talked about a lot, Jason doesn't appear, Pipeyna if you squint I guess, SPOILERS FOR THE BURNING MAZE, Spoilers for The Trials of Apollo, Talking About the Past, girls supporting girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 04:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15766200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_always_sunny/pseuds/not_always_sunny
Summary: After arriving in New Rome, Piper and Reyna bond over the death of their friend.





	Conversations

**Author's Note:**

> *SPOILERS FOR TRIALS OF APOLLO: THE BURNING MAZE*

The garden was quiet and peaceful, a welcome distraction after the craziness of the last few days. On the other hand, Piper wasn't sure if being left alone with her thoughts was the best idea. Too many _what ifs_ and _whys_ and _your faults_ filling her head and making it hard to sleep.

Thankfully, the soft splash of the fountain allowed her to block out those feelings. She was dimly aware of the rush of the city behind her. So many demigods in one place — were they all afraid of what was to come next? Did they whisper to each other about the fallen god now eating lunch at Mercury’s Steakhouse in New Rome?

Or maybe they were used to it by now. Nothing came as a shock to the kids who'd seen two wars in two years, fought countless battles before they'd graduated high school.

Maybe Piper was too new at this to be this bitter.

“I like the new haircut.”

She turned to see Reyna Ramirez-Arellano standing on the garden pathway, holding two to-go cups in her hands. Her metal dogs, gold and silver, paced at her feet.

“Thanks,” Piper said, self-consciously touching her head. “What did the Senate decide to do about the Apollo situation?”

Reyna sat down next her on the bench. “I don't know,” she shrugged, “Frank is running the meeting. He told me to take a moment after — after the news.”

“That's kind of him,” offered Piper. “He's a good leader.”

“And a good friend,” agreed Reyna. “Would you like some coffee? It's good; they make it with real beans here.” She held out one of the cups, and Piper took it politely. Reyna was right — it did taste really good.

“Thanks. Um, why …” Piper tried to think of a way to say ‘why are you here?’ without sounding rude or mean. “Is there a reason you wanted to talk?”

“I thought you might need someone to talk to. A friend,” Reyna said softly, rubbing one of the dogs’ back with her foot. The praetor seemed way more tired than Piper had ever seen her. She wasn't wearing her usual armor, just a pair of yoga pants and a SPQR sweatshirt. There were dark circles under her eyes.

“I thought the war was supposed to be over,” she said softly. “I thought we were all supposed to make it out alive.”

Reyna sighed and rubbed her forehead. “The life of a demigod is filled with death. Sometimes I just wish I could leave it all behind, all the battles and grief and suffering. Maybe that makes me selfish, wanting to abandon my people.”

“Or maybe that makes you brave for admitting it,” Piper told her.

“Maybe. Hey, Piper?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm sorry for hating you when we first met. It was stupid and shallow, and you didn't deserve it.”

She gave Reyna a small smile. “And I'm sorry for hating _you_ when we first met. It's silly to dislike you because of the history that you shared with someone, no matter who that person is. Apology accepted?”

“Accepted if you do.”

“Deal.”

“I don't think that I hated you just because of you and Jason,” Reyna admitted, and Piper startled just a little bit. It was the first time anyone had said his name in front of her since he'd died. It was relieving, in a sort of twisted way.

“I wasn't even jealous of your relationship,” the other girl continued. “I think I hated you because of what you symbolized. How he'd become this person that I didn't know while he'd been gone, and there was no going back. I really hated that.”

“And then the attack on New Rome happened, and we fled, and you two never really got to reconnect,” Piper realized. “I'm sorry, Reyna. I'm sorry that it happened like that.”

“It's not your fault. It's just that — I was wondering if I even knew the real Jason. He seemed more himself when he was with you guys then when he lived in Camp Jupiter. And maybe that's something that's my fault.”

“I don't know what he was like as he grew up here,” Piper said, “but I know that he thought of you as one of his best friends, and that he loved this city and the Legion. Even if he chose Camp Half-Blood, he still loved this place. He grew up here.”

Reyna gave a small, barely-audible sniff and wiped her eyes. “Thank you, Piper. That was … exactly what I needed to hear.”

“I broke up with him,” Piper blurted out. She felt like she needed to tell someone, to get this off her chest before it smothered her.

“I broke up with him,” she repeated, tears trickling down her cheeks, “and then he _died_. I — I … it's my _fault_.”

“Just because you broke up with him doesn't mean you didn't still care about him,” Reyna said gently, “romantically or not. It's not your fault, no matter what your reasons were. Caligula killed him, not you. This is on him, not any of us.”

Piper leaned into her hug, resting her chin on the other girl’s shoulder. She felt the soft dampness of Reyna’s tears on her shirt, but she just pulled her closer. For a minute, the two of them just stayed there, comforting each other.

After a while, Piper pulled back and wiped her eyes, smiling sadly. “I'm glad we became friends,” she told her. “I'm glad we don't hate each other anymore.”

“I'm also glad that we don't hate each other,” Reyna agreed lightly. Then with more seriousness, she said, “I'm here if you ever need to talk again. We're friends for real now, we can talk to each other.”

“Agreed.” Piper looked over at the distant Senate building. “The meeting must be over, we should probably go see what they've decided to do.” She offered her a hand to get up.

As Reyna stood up, Piper told her, “And when you do get face-to-face with those Roman emperors, look them in the eyes and tell them that this is for Jason.”

Reyna smirked. “I won't have to — you'll be right there with me.”

And Piper smiled genuinely for what felt like the first time in a long time. She linked arms with Reyna and they headed up the path and out of the garden.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, feel free to leave a kudos or a comment!


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